“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)
How we do show love to our children?
I googled and found 100 suggestions. Here are some of them:
- Say “I love you” often.
- Pay attention to them when they are talking to you.
- Have a dance party.
- Sit with them and read stories together.
- Ask what the best part of their day has been.
- Sing to/with them with them in the car.
- Play along with them, whether it is blocks, coloring or video games.
These are good suggestions. Yet not one of them speaks about disciplining or correcting our child as part of our expression of love. This speaks much about the attitudes of many in our time. We tend to view love as soft, cuddly and indulgent – pandering to our wishes and desires.
True love in God’s sight, however, is strong and unyielding. It is always with the aim of achieving the highest good for our lives. This is because God, being perfect, cannot work to achieve something less than perfectly good in our lives. That would betray his character because it would be ultimately deceptive for us.
And God’s highest good for us is this: to be able to share in his holiness. He does not spare any effort in making that possible for us. He sent his Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins and his Spirit to help us grow in goodness. He allows for discipline and trials in our lives to direct us to the right attitudes and behaviour.
So today, if you are going through a difficult time, and you know that you have strayed from God’s path, the sufferings you face are God’s mercies to you.
▪️He is saying that he loves you and wants to the highest good for you.
▪️He disciplines you because he values you as his child and is not willing for you to remain in your sinful state.
▪️He is not negligent in showing his love but active and involved in working out his greatest good in your life.
Let us therefore be encouraged by God’s discipline, respond with an obedient and thankful heart and strengthen ourselves to change!
Have a blessed day🙏